Foreign Beast
by Sunhat Leafeon
Summary: Daisy is a well respected and generally loved leafeon by most in the forest. But, this fact is soon put to the test when she does something that shoots fear into the heart of many.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes**

**Knock knock, it's me. Ya' boi Fluffarooni back with another mediocre pokémon fanfiction!**

**Thanks for reviewing: no one, nobody, and not a soul. How come? It's the first chapter, that's why! You can't review a story before it's even posted.**

**Also, this story is going to be first person instead of third person like previous story.**

**Blah blah, here's some formatting mumbo-jumbo.**

**Normal test is someone talking.**

_Italics _**is someone thinking.**

* * *

**Daisy's Point of View**

My day hadn't started different from any other, but I remember it clearly due to the distinctly abnormal events that would soon follow.

I stretched with a yawn as I awoke. I flexed my stiff limbs, my dream already fading from mind. Something about oran berries... I think?

Anyhow, I quickly banished any thoughts of going back to sleep from my mind, and climbed out of my small den near the river.

It was still dark out; the sun's warm embrace was not yet gracing my bright leaves.

Oh- how silly of me! I forgot to mention that I'm a leafeon. One of quite a few in this forest.

The ground was damp, and the air was humid. I gingerly walked over to the river for a drink, as my tongue was dry as an autumn leaf.

As I lapped at the water, enjoying the cool liquid on my tongue, I saw a magikarp swimming by. I hadn't eaten much recently or had the time to sit down and soak up some sun, so I figured why not?

I slowly stepped into the flowing rapids. The water was too shallow to be that dangerous to me; the surface only reached half up my forelegs. I began a determined sprinted through the channel, my dainty brown paws lightly splashing each step. The magikarp I was chasing was fast, but I was confident that I was faster.

I lowered my head, quickening my downstream tread. I was gaining on the magikarp, but my advantage was quickly running out. As we traveled, the stream widened and the water deepened.

I thought the magikarp was in reach, so I lunged forward with my fangs bared. My jaws clamped down on... nothing! The clever fish had avoided my attack, and my blunder in judgement had cost me a few meters of gain. Deterred but not yet defeated, I started to pump my legs and swim forward toward the karp.

My grass type abilities came in handy. I called out to the river flora, having it gently pull me through the water at my command. While this offered me a bit of extra speed, it wasn't anywhere near enough. I swam sideways toward the shoreline, never taking my eyes off my prey.

As soon as my paws touched the bank, I pulled myself up and began running next to the river alongside the magikarp. I absorbed the water in my fur, and propelled myself forward at high speeds.

The karp kept it's eye on me, judging my every move. It knew I would lunge again, and it recalled how it had escaped from me before. So naturally, it would do the same thing if I went for it again.

This fish was smart, but I was smarter. While it could learn, I could adapt. I crouched low to the ground, and leapt toward the water. Just as I had suspected, it slowed down in the hope that I'd harmlessly splash down in front of it. But to it's surprise, I angled my pounce slightly backwards, and caught the magikarp in my jaws.

It flopped and flailed as I plucked it from the water. I smiled happily to myself as I swam back to the riverbank. I climbed out with my prize in my mouth, tossing it onto the ground and circling it to inspect it.

"Hold still!" I shouted at the flopping fish. It didn't understand me of course. Or if it did it wasn't obeying.

It was a large one; this was a fairly good catch. It would feed me for a good few days. I batted it around with a paw for a bit, watching the fish flop around.

I soon got tired of playing with my food. It had been flopping back toward the water, so I sank my teeth into it's tail fin and pulled it back.

I raised my tail, preparing to tear it through the fish's skull with a leaf blade attack to end it's life. I did feel bad about killing, but I had to eat somehow.

It was at that moment that I heard familiar thumping paw steps approaching.

"Hey, Daisy!" the approaching pokémon called. "Did you catch me something to eat?"

I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"Catch something yourself, Fawn. You're perfectly capable."

The zorua finally appeared from the bushes, walking up to me with a pout on her face.

"Awww, but _Daisy_!" she whined. "I'm _lazy_! And I'm so hungry..."

"You know tha-" I started, before I heard a light splash. We both slowly turned our heads back to the river, where the magikarp I had caught was quickly swimming away.

I turned back toward my friend with a piercing glare. She shrank back with a sheepish smile.

"I uh..."

"You're gonna help me catch another one, and you can only have the bones."

"Aww, but I don't like the bones!"

"And I don't like that my breakfast swimming away."

"Okay, fine..."

The two of us ran along the riverbank, searching for another fish. We soon found another magikarp, a much larger one than before.

My zorua partner morphed her appearance into that of a magikarp, hopping into the water in front of it.

The real fish stopped in it's tracks. It looked at the 'magikarp' in front of it curiously, as I snuck up behind it.

With one quick motion, I bit it's tail and flung it from the water. I caught it before it landed, and swam back to the riverbank once again. Fawn retook the form of a zorua.

I cut the fish in half with one quick swipe, pushing half of it towards my zorua companion. She looked at me confused.

"I thought you said I could only have the bones?"

"Just take it before I change my mind."

Fawn didn't object any further. She tore the red flesh off from the fish, moaning loudly as she chewed up the fish and filled her belly.

I sighed, smiling to myself as I began to do the same. Not as savagely, of course.

When we finished our meals, the zorua gave a loud burp.

"Oh, man! I'm stuffed... Thanks, Daisy!"

"It's no problem. Now, go back to doing whatever you were gonna do, we can hang out later."

"Oh, okay!" She ran off without another word.

I looked down to examine what was left of the fish. Fawn had completely demolished her half, save for the bones. I had only eaten a small portion of mine, saving the rest for another day.

I picked up what was left of the fish in my maw and continued to walk along the river. It was early morning, so most of the intelligent pokémon were not up and about yet.

We had a community, of sorts. Intelligent pokémon didn't attack or eat each other. We all helped provide for each other, and used berries as a sort of currency in exchange for services and items.

I approached a large clearing in the middle of the forest where most of the shops were set up. There were very few dens around here, the landscape instead being littered with primitive buildings.

From what I heard, they were nowhere near as advanced as humans could build. I had never seen a human building before. I had never even seen a human! All I knew was that they were scary and dangerous, and should be avoided at all costs.

Everyone had heard the legends. Large, imposing pokémon that captured everyone else in tiny balls, enslaving them to do their bidding. The slaves were used for labor, trade, and battling for their amusement.

I shuddered at the thought. I hoped I would never encounter one of them.

Soon enough, I came into the clearing. There were very few other pokémon roaming about. A few eevees were playing, a froakie was inspecting it's shop, and some pokémon I didn't recognize bartering with a pignite over something.

I didn't have any berries on me, so I opted not to wait around for the clearing to start filling up.

I walked back into the thickets, choosing a random direction to explore. The forest was still dark, the sun's bright rays only barely illuminating the sky above. I pranced through the thick woods, enjoying my surroundings and the serene atmosphere of the early morning.

I hadn't been keeping track of how long I had running, but when I stopped to look around I was in an unfamiliar part of the forest. The sky was a dark blue, and it was getting easier to see as the minutes passed.

The heightened visibility allowed me to make out an odd detail. Next to a tree, there was a large pokémon lying unconscious. I gingerly walked up to it.

It was large, and lanky. It had strange, loose skin in some areas, and regular tight skin in others. There was a thick web keeping it attached to the tree.

I observed it curiously, the light began to reveal something that surprised me. There was number of gashes and wounds covering it's body.

I quickly sniffed at it. It didn't smell infected, but that didn't mean I was going to neglect treating it. I worridly looked into the sleeping pokémon's face.

How had something so large been injured so badly? If there was a pokémon capable of such feats nearby, then I and the sleeping pokémon certainly stood no chance against it.

Whatever it was, it was probably coming back soon. I bit into the large beast's loose skin, and began dragging it back the way I came from.

* * *

It took a while, but I managed to drag the beast to my den. I crammed it inside the best I could, and hopped in with it. There was barely enough room to fit the two of us, but it would have to do.

I began my work on cleaning it's wounds. I gently lapped at them with my tongue, making sure not to cause the sleeping beast too much pain.

It flinched every once in a while, but otherwise laid still. Well, I guess I shouldn't call the beast an it. It was a he, as I had found out by accident when my paw brushed over something it shouldn't have.

After I was content with my work, I had nothing else to do but wait for him to wake up. I studied the creature carefully. It both looked and smelled weird. It was one of the larger pokémon I've seen.

I layed on my back and continued to wait. And wait. And wait. Soon I got fed up, and smacked him across the face with my tail.

It didn't work, so I did it again. And again. I was preparing for a fourth hit, but his eyes began to flutter open.

The beast looked around a bit, before it's eyes landed on me. It gasped in shock, and began to try and back away. I took a step forward, but it began shouting in a strange tongue.

"Calm down!" I pleaded. Against my will, my ears flattening against my head as I backed up in fear. I'm not sure if it understood me, but it did calm down enough to not seem scary. It spoke more in that weird language, opting my to tilt my head.

"Eat," I commanded, nudging the rest of my magikarp towards it. The beast looked down in confusion, seemingly unsure what to do with the fish. I took a bite and nudged it forward a bit more. That beast seemed to understand.

It reached out with it's large hand, looking into my eyes without grasping it. It began to say something else, so I just nodded. The beast grabbed the fish. It slowly began to eat it, still staring at me.

I turned my back away from it and laid down, hoping to appear less threatening to whatever it was. Judging by the gross sounds it made while it quickly ate, I was correct.

* * *

**Maxwell's Point of View**

It was an exciting prospect, to say the least. I had never been on a camping trip before, so my parents were excited to teach me everything about it! My sister had never been either, but she didn't seem to share my enthusiasm.

It was a strange idea. Nineteen years on this planet, and I had never once slept outside before. To any other species it'd be a strange concept, but for a human it felt normal.

My dad smiled brightly as we parked near the edge of the forest, the joy clear on his bearded face.

"We're here!" he cheered, clicking a button to unlock the doors. The four of us poured out of the van.

We all walked down a well-worn trail, gazing around the forest and admiring all the flora and fauna.

"This place is amazing!" I breathed. I hadn't meant to say it outloud, but my family didn't need to know that detail.

"It is, isn't it?" my mother agreed.

My sister walked close to my father's legs, visibly scared of the forest around. He picked her up and carried her with a smile.

"Don't be afraid!" he laughed. "The pokémon won't hurt you!"

We soon arrived at our campsite.

My dad began to pitch a tent, my mother and sister digging through a bag to look for food.

"Hey boy!" my dad called, prompting me to look in his direction. "Go search for some good firewood, will ya'?"

I nodded, and wandered off into the forest.

I was looking for firewood at first, but I soon zoned out and simply admired the forest's beauty. Seconds turned to minutes, and minutes turned to hours.

I was snapped out of my thoughts by the rustling of a bush. I looked in it's direction and saw nothing, so I looked away and continued.

The longer I walked, the more frequent and intense the rustling got. Eventually I stopped in my tracks. So did the rustling. I turned around, when suddenly a pokémon leapt at me.

It was large, and I didn't know what it was. It tackled me to the ground, beginning to tear up my skin. I landed a punch on it's face, but it didn't seem affected.

We rolled around in a tussle, when it got fed up and tore it's horns across my face. I covered the new wound with my hands, screaming in pain. It took this opportunity to charge at me, sending my flying into the tree.

It took a look at me (presumably to make sure I wouldn't go anywhere), before spitting some sort of web all over me and leaving.

I just laid there in pain. I have no idea how long. My vision was beginning to fade, and I accepted my fate and closed my eyes, letting sleep take me.

* * *

When I had again awoken, it was in unfamiliar territory. I was in some sort of dirt enclosure. A very small one. I looked around for a bit, before my eyes landed on a pokémon.

Already shaken and scared from my last encounter with a pokémon, I tried to back up, but a sharp pain in my leg and the wall behind me prevented me from making much progress.

"Ah, god damn it!" I shouted, as pain flared up my leg.

The pokémon cried out, backing up and looking a bit scared. I felt bad about scaring it and stopped moving. I took a closer look at my company: the pokémon was a leafeon. A very cute one. It perked it's ears up and looked at me.

"Uh, I'm sorry..." I mumbled to it.

The leafeon cried out at me once more, nudging a dead magikarp toward me. I was a bit confused. It leaned down and took a bite, before nudging it further.

Now understanding that it was food, I reached for it but stopped. Maybe it wasn't offering? It didn't hurt to ask.

"Is this for me?" I asked, receiving a nod in response. I took the fish and slowly began to eat it, staring at the strange pokémon in front of me. It eventually turned away and laid down.

Shrugging, I began to eat the magikarp faster, in deep thought.

The leafeon was cuter than most pokémon I've seen, but that wasn't the only thing abnormal. It seemed more intelligent than I would assume at first, and it was seemingly trying to help me.

It seemed friendly, but I couldn't help but let my mind wander to ulterior motives.

Perhaps it was going to kill me itself? But, that didn't make sense. Why would it feed me if it was going to kill me?

Well that's easy enough to counter. Maybe it was fattening me up to eat me later. But in that case, why wasn't I restrained?

That's easy too. My leg is injured, I won't be going anywhere.

But then again, why not just eat the magikarp? If anything, the leafeon would be losing out on more food by giving it to me instead. Perhaps it just wasn't as smart of a pokémon as I assumed. But somehow, I felt that wasn't true.

Maybe it was just helping me out of the kindness of it's heart, maybe it had other motivations. But at least for the time being, I was still alive and thankful for that.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes**

**I was gonna write more for my Metroid story today, but I decided to go for this one instead. Think of this as a special treat chapter of sorts.**

**Thanks for reviewing, Team Riptide. Glad you decided to stick around. **

**I'm super hungry but I won't be able to eat for a long while, so I'mma write to take my mind off it. This will be a bit of a shorter chapter, but **

* * *

**Daisy's Point of View**

I had fallen asleep shortly after laying down. I slept for a good half-morning before I was awoken to the sound of yelling. Not just the yelling of one pokémon either.

"DAISY!" Fawn cried, "There's a monster in your den!"

I shot up with a start, looking behind myself with a leaf blade prepared to fend off the intruder. I quickly lowered my guard, however, as the events of the morning finally caught back up to me. The beast let out a large snore, having fallen asleep himself.

"Oh, him?" I glanced back at my zorua friend. "He's not dangerous. I just took him in because he was injured."

Fawn gasped, backing up in shock.

"You mean to tell me..." She brought a paw to her chest, before jabbing it in my face. "You _willingly _brought that thing here?" The pace of her breathing began to pick up. "Are you _CRAZY_?!"

I just rolled my eyes.

"He hasn't attacked me, and seems fairly docile."

Fawn's eyebrows rose.

"Okay, _whatever _Daisy. But I'm not going in there until that _thing _is gone!" Fawn cleared her throat, still nervous but keeping her eyes off the beast. "Anyway, you promised to hang out!"

My ears perked up.

"Right! I did. Well, let's go then," I said with a smile. I took one glance back at the sleeping beast before leaving with my friend.

The two of us walked through the woods aimlessly; a journey without a destination.

"So," Fawn started, "this monster you're keeping."

I raised an eyebrow.

"You're not gonna let the topic go without an explanation, eh?"

"No ma'am! What is that thing?"

I just shrugged, and mumbled something along the lines of "I don't know."

"What do you mean? It's in your den, shouldn't you at least ask it what it is?"

"I certainly would ask, but _he_, not _it_, doesn't seem to speak the same language as us."

Fawn stopped in her tracks.

"So, you're telling me, you decided to help out and share your den with a foreign beast? A beast that you don't even know the identity of?"

"Yeah... When you put it that way it sounds a _little _crazy..."

"You think?"

I sighed.

"Well, I already went for it so I have to commit now."

Fawn groaned.

"Whatever. If you die, I'll only feel a little bad."

"Yeah, whatever."

It was a while of walking before I finally spoke up.

"Hey, why don't we ask, uh..." My voice trailed off as I realized the true implications of my request.

"Huh? Ask who? About what?"

I gulped in an attempt to swallow my uneasiness. "He Who Knows Most. About the beast."

Fawn shrank back a little. "What?! Why?! Why _Fogg_ of all pokémon?!"

I sighed a bit and looked onward in determination.

"He's probably the one who would know the most about this, as his name implies."

The dark-type grumbled a little bit in response.

"Fine... But, I'm not going."

I gave Fawn a pleading look.

"Come on, please? It'd be comforting to have a dark type around in case uh... You know..."

Fawn was about to protest, but sighed and gave in with a nod.

He Who Knows Most would definitely be a good help. I should explain his weird name.

See, every pokémon is named at birth, of course. But, at least in this forest I call home, when a pokémon accomplishes something extraordinary they are awarded a title; it's sort of a second name which is the more respectful thing to call them by.

He Who Knows Most's real name is actually Fogg. He obtained his title by wandering the world, exploring and bringing back seemingly endless information. There's very little that he doesn't know. Despite some of his... weirder qualities, the amount of information he knew was respectable.

Out journey to the tree where Fogg lived was an uneventful one. We horse-played a bit along the way, and occasionally stopped for berries.

Soon enough, we made it to a gravel path.

Fawn and I walked toward the tree where Fogg lived. Once we arrived at the hollowed-out trunk, we gave a large knock on the makeshift door.

Soon enough, a familiar hypno stepped out.

"Ah. Fawn, Daisy, I foresaw your arrival," the large pokémon said. He licked his lips as he looked us over. "What brings two attractive young ladies such as yourselves to my humble abode?"

Fawn shifted uncomfortably a bit, so I spoke up.

"Hello, Fogg. We came to inquire about something."

Fogg smiled eerily.

"Ah, yes of course. Come inside, make yourself at home."

"N-no sir, t-that's quite all right!" Fawn sputtered out. I nodded in agreement.

"It's a simple and quick question, shouldn't be more than a moment."

Fogg laughed, his scratchy tones putting me on edge.

"Nonsense! You're guests, I can't let you stand out here in the cold." The hypno beckoned us, walking inside.

Fawn and I glanced at each other warily but nodded anyway. We followed the large pokémon into the trunk. Fogg closed the door behind us, subtly latched it locked with psychic.

Fawn and I sat on opposite piles of leaves that were set up as seats. Fogg sauntered up behind me, huffing heavily into my large, leaf-like ear. I leaned away uncomfortably, and I don't think my small whine went unnoticed.

"So _Daisy,_" Fogg murred, "what question plagues your mind to bring you two back here? I've been lonely since you last visited." the hypno ran his thin, gangly hands up my sides, gently squeezing and massaging my back. It did the opposite of what a massage should, making me tense up my muscles.

I began to sweat as I looked into Fawn's eyes, who looked just as uncomfortable with the situation as I.

"W-well," I stammered, "I found an injured beast out in the forest t-today. I-" I felt Fogg lightly squeeze the back of my neck, eliciting a squeak. "Well uh, I d-don't know what it is and w-was wondering if you could help?"

Fogg leaned down, where I could see his smile when I glanced to the side.

"Oh _Daisy_," he purred, "you know I'm always happy to help you, gorgeous." he gave me a nuzzle on the cheek, causing me to blush and lean away. He didn't like that response judging by the look on his face but conceded anyway.

"S-so will you help?"

"Lead the way," he said with a sigh. The door unlatched, opting Fawn and I to quickly hustle out of the log. Fogg soon followed, and we began to lead him to my den. It was this concept that made Fawn lean over and whisper into my ear.

"What are we doing?" she demanded. "He's gonna know where your den is now!"

I glanced worriedly back at her and whispered, "Oh, right... I didn't think of that..."

Fogg cleared his throat behind us, opting us to look back with a start.

"Don't worry girls," he soothed, "I don't bite." He gave a wide grin that sent shivers down my spine.

* * *

The rest of the way was walked in mostly silence, but soon we came up near the river where my den was. We walked aside it, when something strange happened. A piece of ground I stepped on suddenly collapsed despite being stable, causing me to squeal and fall in the water.

Fogg looked over with a clearly fake look of surprise.

"Oh dear! You fell in!" He gave a wide grin. "I'll dry you off, don't worry." He took a step forward.

"No, you won't," Fawn said, blocking his path. She glared up at the hypno, growling and baring her teeth.

Fogg looked down with a smile.

"Oh Fawn, always so feisty. No need to get jealous, there's plenty of me for the both of you!" he leaned down and picked up the zorua, giving her a long lick on the muzzle. Fawn scratched him in the face, causing him to yelp and drop her.

"Don't touch me, creep!"

Fogg's face darkened in anger for a moment, before he took a breath and let it go.

"Pitty. Let's just continue our journey then."

I climbed out of the water, absorbing the moisture that lingered in my fur to dry myself off. The three of us walked in silence for a few minutes, before coming accross my den.

"We're here," I noted.

Fogg's grin came back full force.

"Excellent!" he took a peek inside. "I must say, Daisy, you do a good job keeping this place clean. You're great at women's work, you know?"

I cleared my throat.

"Can you identify the beast?"

"Oh yes, hold on." He took a look inside, before shooting his head out with a look of fear.

"So?"

"Are you insane?!" he shouted. "How could you bring a human here?! They are forbidden from entering this forest!"

I squeaked and shrank back, as the hypno stepped forward, looming over me with a look of anger.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't know!"

He leaned down and glared into my eyes.

"If he causes any trouble, you're going to be held accountable. You're lucky I don't inform the elders of this."

The hypno stomped away fuming, leaving Fawn and I alone. The human peaked out of the den at us, having been stirred from sleep by the commotion outside.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes**

**Okay so writer's block decided to fight me. I'm losing inspiration to continue, big time. It's been here for a few months, but I'm getting to the point where I can't fight it off so easy.**

**If I drop off the face of the earth for a few days, weeks, months, or years after this chapter, y'all'll know why. Of course, you can always add me on Discord if you want. (Fluffy#3016)**

**Without further ado, let's begin.**

* * *

**Daisy's Point of View**

As the human's head peaked from my den, my paws took control and made me step back.

He blinked once. I blinked back. The human soon gave me a slow wave.

"_Great," I thought, "a gesture I can understand!"_

I gave a wave back, Fawn giving a hesitant nod. I began to walk forward toward the human, my zorua friend slowly following in my paw-steps.

The human attempted to crawl out of the den, grimacing and grunting as he did so. Fawn and I stopped in front of him, simply watching. His forearms were covered in dirt and grass stains, and his short hair was knotted from sweat. His face turned red from the struggle of crawling out, a small droplet of sweat rolling down his cheek. Or, was it a tear? To this day, I still couldn't tell you.

"You need any help there?" I inquired, momentarily forgetting the language barrier. He simply stopped moving and stared at me. I rolled my eyes, grabbing onto his arm and helping to pull him out. He flinched away looking unsure, but soon accepted the help.

I could see now that his leg was bent at an unnatural angle. Fawn made a squeal, causing the human and I to look in her direction.

"_Eww_! That's so gross!" she whined. "You're touching it!"

"Fawn, it's not poisonous or anything," I said.

The zorua walked up to the human's leg, getting his attention.

"Look, its leg is all _weird_ and _wrong_!" She jabbed a paw into it for emphasis, causing the human to roar in pain and make her back off.

"Fawn, it's broken!" I yelled.

"Oh... Sorry..." She backed up a bit, blushing and averting her eyes.

I gently licked the human's face.

"You're fine, I'm sorry about her."

He jerked back and looked at me weirdly. He said something I couldn't understand, so I just stared and tilted my head. This human's language was incredibly complex, something I couldn't easily replicate with my limited range of cries and yips. Every evolution line speaks different from other species, but most pokémon are able to create similar sounds enough for us to cobble together a cohesive language.

He sighed and seemed to think for a moment. The human soon seemed to get an idea. He pointed at me, causing me to back up a bit out of reflex, and tilted his head.

I tilted my head once more. He pointed to his mouth, and then back at me.

"Uhh, Daisy?" I turned to face Fawn, who had called for me. "I think he wants your name?"

It seemed like a reasonable idea, but I wasn't sure. Well, it didn't hurt to try I guess. I turned back to the human and slowly spoke my name.

"Daisy."

He looked at my, and flexed his jaw around before attempting to mimic my speech.

"Flower?"

It was close in pokémon tongue, but not quite the same. I spoke my name once more, this time a bit slower.

"_Daisy_."

"Dai..sy... Daisy...?"

I nodded at him, eliciting a smile. He then pointed at Fawn.

"Uh... me?"

"Uhme?" the human spoke.

"What? No!"

He blinked and tilted his head.

"Whatno?"

Fawn was about to protest again, but I stuffed a paw in her mouth. The human looked over to me.

I pointed at the zorua, and spoke her name as clearly as I could.

"Fawn."

"Fawn... Fawn?" the human hummed, looking to the zorua for confirmation.

"Finally!" she exclaimed, nodding frantically. "Is he slow or something? You know, in the head?"

I simply shrugged.

"I don't know, but you didn't exactly tell him the right name."

Fawn looked away again.

"Oh... Oh yeah..."

I turned to the human, and pointed toward him.

"Your turn?"

He blinked, and spoke his name.

"Mac?" With my limited range of noises, I couldn't make an exact mimic, but he seemed content with it.

Mac just shrugged and nodded.

"Fawn, could you fetch some oran or stirus berries? We're gonna need as many as we can to help heal his leg faster."

The zorua nodded with newfound determination.

"Yes ma'am!"

As the zorua ran off I walked to Mac's leg and looked him in the eye.

"This is gonna hurt, mkay?" I spoke softly, as I placed my paws on the leg. He flinched, and eyed me carefully. Before he had the chance to say anything, I forced the bone back into place.

Mac shouted in pain, and kicked me in the face. I cried out as the blow knocked me a few feet away.

It wasn't that hard, but it still hurt.

"Hey!" I cried. "What was that for?!" I advanced on Mac with a huff.

He scooted backwards until he was up against a tree trunk. I sighed, deciding to let it go.

"That better have been a reflex," I said.

I leapt over to Mac, who flinched away. I nuzzled his cheek in an attempt to calm him down, but he still stayed stiff. He seemed to relax a little bit, but not much.

He reached out his large hand, causing me to look up in confusion. Mac laid his hand on my head and gently dragged it through my fur. He took his hand from my forehead, down my back, and along my tail before lifting the hand and repeating the motion.

It felt a bit weird, but was very calming to me. I crawled into his lap and curled up, letting Mac pet me gently. It didn't feel gross like when Fogg put his greasy, bony mitts on me, instead feeling like a friendly gesture. Affection, of some sort.

* * *

**Maxwell's Point of View**

I was awoken with a start by the loud cries outside of the den. After a moment, I managed to crawl forward and peak outside. I saw the leafeon from before and a zorua staring at a yellow pokémon that was too far away for me to properly identify.

After the yellow pokémon was out of sight, the zorua and leafeon.

They walked up to me, the zorua looking a bit scared. I tried to climb out of the den, but I didn't make much progress evident by the sweat drop rolling down my cheek from the effort. The leafeon took pity, and helped drag me out. After this was finished, the zorua squealed, causing the leafeon to look at her.

The two pokémon cried at each other for a little bit, before the zorua walked up to me. It jabbed at my leg, causing it to flare up in pain. I hollered from the burning sensation, causing both of the pokémon to hesitate.

They cried back and forth for a bit more, before looking back to me. The leafeon approached my gingerly, and licked my cheek with a soft murr.

I jolted back from the unexpected tongue against my cheek.

"Why did you lick me?" I asked. The leafeon tilted it's head and said nothing. Of course, wild pokémon probably couldn't understand humans. I decided that if I was to get out of this forest, I'd need to be able to communicate with the pokémon. But how?

I decided to start with something simple. Maybe I could get the names of the leafeon and zorua?

I pointed at the leafeon first, since she seemed the most open to interaction. She tilted her head further.

"_How am I going to convey my question?_" I thought. Then a new idea hit me like a mallet.

I opened my mouth, pointing to it and then the leafeon.

It tilted its head the other way, when the zorua said something to it. It seemed to understand now, and looked at me with it's deep brown eyes.

It spoke what I assumed was it's name. I didn't understand what it meant, but I tried to say it anyway.

It shook its head. No? Not right?

The leafeon repeated its name once more. I said it again, and the leafeon seemed content and nodded. I later learned that it meant Daisy, but that's not important right now.

I then turned and pointed to the zorua, who's pupils shrunk momentarily. It cried out what I assumed was its name, and I tried to repeat it.

It shook its head, and made a completely different sound. I tried to mimic the new one.

Daisy shoved a paw in its companion's mouth, and pointed at the zorua making another new noise. Probably its actual name.

I tried to make the sound. Twice, just to make sure. The leafeon smiled and nodded. Fawn was the zorua's name.

The two spoke with each other for a bit, Fawn looking sheepish as Daisy turned and pointed at me with a yip.

"Max," I simply said. Daisy tried their best to mimic the noise.

"Mac?"

While it wasn't perfect, it was good enough.

Daisy and Fawn spoke for a bit afterward, the latter soon running off.

Daisy walked up to my leg, laying their paws on it and shooting me an apologetic look. They yipped something at me, before shoving my bone back into place.

"AHH! God DAMN IT!" I shouted, kicking the frail leafeon away by reflex. When it recovered, it looked at me with hurt and anger, stamping forward toward me.

I backed up against a tree, feeling really bad for hurting the poor thing. Daisy seemed to take pity on me, sighing and returning to a neutral face. It walked up to me and nuzzled my cheek gently. I was put a bit on edge by it, but the gesture was sweet.

I reached out my hand and began to gently pet the leafeon, who stiffened up looking at me confused. As I pet along its back gently, it seemed to calm down.

Daisy climbed into my lap and curled up, content to let me pet their soft fur. I took the opportunity to play with it's ears and tail.

They looked like they were plants, and they felt like it too, but I wasn't completely sure. I'd have to ask someone when I got back home.

I down at the leafeon, who was starting to close it's eyes and breathe calmly.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes**

**Been a few months, eh? I have no excuse. I'm lazy, and not been in the mood to write.**

**It's been hard to write, and even harder to reach my self-imposed "2K Words a Chapter" minimum. I couldn't even hit it here. Oh well, hope you enjoy.**

* * *

**Daisy's Point of View**

My hour or so I had spent asleep on Mac's lap was abruptly interrupted by the shrill voice of Faw.

"Daisy! Daisy! Wake up!" hollered Fawn. The dark vixen came prancing up to Mac and I giddily, a pouch full of berries around her neck. "I got what you asked for! Ol' Buttercup helped me find plenty of berries!"

"That was very sweet of her," I acknowledged. "You remembered to say your 'thank-you's, right?"

Fawn nodded in confirmation.

"Mhm! Not that I needed to, though. Everyone wants to hang out with me!"

"That's... good." I muttered as I gently untied the berry pouch from around her neck. I opened it, looking up at the human I was laying on.

Fawn always tried to act "cool" and all that. I could never bring myself to tell her that she was just making a fool of herself, since it'd break her heart.

Mac was fast asleep, mouth agape and drooling. I scooped some stirus berries from the pouch and plopped them into his mouth.

Groggily, he opened his eyes, confused at the new feeling in his mouth.

He seemed to get the message soon enough, chewing and swallowing the berries. Content with my work, I gave him a pat on the shoulder.

Fawn and I helped Mac back into my den, little resistance on his part. When we got inside, an idea seemed to poke at Fawn.

"Y'know, it's a bit cramped in here..." she commented as she squoze inside.

After a moment of pondering, I addressed her statement.

"So it is. Do you suggest we dig?"

"Aye!"

"That's a good idea. Let's do it."

I began quickly pawing at the dirt faces of my den, slowly but surely expanding it. Fawn assisted.

Mac was confused at first, but seemed to pick up on what we were doing, and began to assist us.

The soil was solid, but not impossible to dig through. It only took a little bit of work to loosen it up and pull it out of the way.

The earthy scent invaded my nose as stray particles floated through the air. The zorua with us sneezed a few times.

I was content with my progress until I started getting careless. In one wrong move, I stubbed my paw on a rock.

"Frick!" I shrieked, jolting it back.

Fawn looked over concerned, Mac as well. I just waved them off.

"Don't worry," I assured them, "I'll be fine."

Fawn seemed to accept this easily, resuming her assault on the soil. Mac did soon after, getting the message.

I nursed my paw as I watched them continue digging.

At some point, Mac accidentally stepped on Fawn's tail.

She shrieked loudly, starting to cry a little bit. But eventually after what I assumed to be profuse apologizing on Mac's part, she seemed to feel a bit better and continued to work.

We had made it a few feet after about fifteen minutes, so I decided to call it quits.

"That's good."

We backed up, admiring our paw-work.

The den was a few feet deeper and longer now, easily able to fit the three of us inside comfortably.

"That's much better!" came the scratchy voice of Fawn.

"Agreed."

With my long, flat tail, I started sweeping the dirt piles out of the den. I braced it under the loose soil, flinging it out the entrance.

When I had finished I nodded in content, laying down.

"Thanks, everyone."

Fawn nodded vigorously in response.

I smiled, satisfied with everyone's work.

"Yo Daisy," she squeaked, "think I could crash here with you two for a while?"

"Yeah, that's probably a smart idea... With Mac here and all, I'm gonna need as many people with a positive opinion of him as I can get, and having someone nearby at all times is gonna be helpful in that case..."

She shot a paw into the air..

"Thanks, Daisy! Means a lot."

I flashed her a grin.

I thought for a bit, and decided that I should probably go get some food.

"Of course." I got up and turned toward the exit. "I'm gonna go hunting. Y'all stay safe, okay?"

"Don't be such a worry-wart! We'll be fine!" she pulled Mac into an embrace, who reluctantly hugged her back. "I can protect Mac."

I giggled at her antics.

"I'm sure you can. I'll see you in a while." With that, Daisy left the den. It was just Mac and I.

As I set off down the river, I repeated my previous hunting strategy.

My eyes scanned the water for anything worthwhile.

A few magikarp swam by, but they were all either too fast to catch or too small to be worth catching.

It was just as I was about to call it quits that it caught my eye.

A goldeen.

It wasn't too fast, and it was pretty large.

"Perfect!" I exclaimed to myself, starting to follow it from the river's edge.

I followed it for a good few minutes before I made my move.

As usual, I pounced toward it first, testing to see if it'd be an easy catch. As usual (but not always), it swiftly avoided my grasp. Mostly.

I had bitten onto its tail, and was slowly pulling it in, until it managed to free itself with a mighty shake.

Climbing back onto land, I watched my prey swim away.

Not on my watch.

I pumped my paws as fast as I could, working to catch up. Soon enough I did, and slowed to a matching pace.

I shot a few razor leaves at it, attempting to land a hit. They all struck.

It leapt from the water and smacked me in the face, which served to further infuriate me.

But then, it gave me an idea.

I tried again, shooting more leaves.

Predictably, it leapt from the water one more time, intent on impaling me with its horn.

With a quick sidestep, I flicked my tail across its body. With one swipe, I had cut it in half.

Pleased with myself, I picked up the goldeen and looked around.

We had gotten pretty far from the den. I was too tired to run back, so I decided just to walk.

* * *

**Fawn's Point of View**

"Thanks, everyone."

I nodded slowly in response.

The pride I felt in that moment was unmatched. Well, that's not _exactly_ true... I was always proud when I helped out Daisy, since she had always helped me!

The warm smile plastered on my friend's face was totally worth it!

I was still a bit anxious of the human, but he hadn't done anything upsetting yet so he was A-OK in my book.

Oh, wait! He had stepped on my tail while we were digging! But I totally hardly even noticed it so I can forgive him.

"Yo Daisy," I asked in an awesome tone, "think I could crash here with you two for a while?"

"Yeah, that's probably a smart idea... With Mac here and all, I'm gonna need as many people with a positive opinion of him as I can get, and having someone nearby at all times is gonna be helpful in that case..."

Well, I hadn't exactly thought about that, I just wanted shelter and food! Daisy's always been a bit of a nerd. Unlike me! I'm cool. I guess Daisy's cool too, in a smarty sort of way.

Pumping a paw into the air, I cheered.

"Thanks, Daisy! Means a lot."

My friend smiled at me. A warm smile. A smile that made me feel like the smartest person ever!

"Of course." She then started toward the exit to the den. "I'm gonna go hunting. Y'all stay safe, okay?"

"Don't be such a worry-wart! We'll be fine!" I wrapped a foreleg around Mac, pulling him close. He seemed mildly confused (probably in awe that someone as awesome as I would hug him), but returned the embrace anyway. "I can protect Mac."

Daisy giggled, for some reason. Not sure why.

"I'm sure you can. I'll see you in a while." With that, Daisy left the den. It was just Mac and I.

"So, Mac," I started, "how are you today?"

He just stared at me.

"Oh, right, language barrier..." I sighed to myself.

He sat upright, and patted his lap. I tilted my head, confused. He just rolled his eyes, picking me up and placing me on it.

It was a confusing experience.

"What're you doing, Mac?"

He laid a hand on my head, slowly dragging it along to fur before repeating the motion.

It felt weird, but all around not bad. I sighed, laying my head down and just letting him do his thing.

Maybe I felt cool or something!

* * *

It was maybe a half-hour before Daisy came back.

She had a goldeen this time. Not as appetizing as magikarp, but food is food!

It already had a few bites taken out of it. She had probably gotten hungry along the way. It was also cut clean in half.

She nudged it over, and I instantly bit off some of the meat. I quietly chewed, enjoying the flavor. It wasn't long before Mac took off a piece, quickly eating it as well.

When we were finished, about a quarter of the meat remained. Daisy put it up for later.

"It's getting late," she said, "we should probably sleep."

I nodded in agreement.

"Okay! Good night, Daisy!"

"Good night, Fawn. Mac."

Mac nodded as well.

We all laid down on the floor in various positions, slowly falling asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes**

**Hey hey hey, it's me again.**

**First thing's first: I'm losing my will to write this story, so I might end up starting a new one and shelving this for later. I have a really good idea, maybe less original but something I would enjoy writing more. If any of you actually care (which I doubt you do but idk) keep an eye out on my profile. My lack of will is the reason this chapter is so short. I said I aim for a 2k word minimum for chapter, but this one's only gonna be 300 words it seems.**

**Also, I should probably address at this point when I write my author's notes.**

**I write them before the chapter, then go back and edit them as I write, and then finish them up at the end.**

**Second: Reviews.**

**Thanks for reviewing, OMG. I missed you, how are you doing these days?**

* * *

**Maxwell's Point of View**

About a week had passed since we expanded the tunnel, and progress on my leg was moving swimmingly. I also had gained a better understanding of the pokémon's unique language. I was beginning to get a grasp on basic meanings, though I still couldn't really understand full sentences.

Nothing really eventful happened until the first of many attacks.

See, I couldn't understand the pokémon very well, so I had no clue that I was an unwelcomed presence.

That fact made itself known through upwards of fifteen pokémon all staring me down when I went to leave Daisy's den in the morning.

They were all shouting various things I couldn't understand once they noticed me, starting to move forward.

At the front of the mini-mob was a hypno. He stepped forward menacingly, piercing my confidence with eyes sharper than razor blades.

Frightened, I tumbled backward into the den. All the commotion had awoken Fawn, who looked around in a panic.

She looked at me, silently asking what was going on. I simply shrugged in response. Discontent with that answer, she peaked her own head outside. It was quickly retracted as a blast of fire was sent her way.

* * *

**Fawn's Point of View**

Mac could've at least been nice enough to warn me that taking a look would get me roasted to a crispy zorua marshmello. I mean, he probably didn't know how to tell me, but he still should've.

"The frick?" I asked no one in particular. I wandered over to Daisy, shaking her awake. "Hey, wakey wakey, there's someone out there tryna' cook us!"

She woke up with a start, looking around.

"Huh? What?"

The two of us went outside, staring down the mob forming.

"Fogg!" Daisy shouted, "what is the meaning of this?"

"The human! We want him gone!"

"No! He's harmless."

The hypno stepped forward, looking Daisy in the eyes.

"Harmless? Don't try to tell me he's harmless! I have seen what those monsters are capable of!"

"He's not a monster! Just, go! Get out of here before I tell the elder you're all harassing us!"

Fogg huffed, crossing his arms.

"I'll convince the elder to join my side. You'll see. Come on everyone, let's go home... for now..."

The mob soon dispersed, leaving us to peace.


End file.
